


Bad

by garseeya



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Boi AU, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garseeya/pseuds/garseeya
Summary: Its been years since Belos came to power at the end of the war. Magic has been stripped from all who refused to pledge allegiance to the him, save glyph magic. After years of training and planning, can Luz and co take on the Emperor and restore magic to the Boiling Isles? Only time will tell...Takes place 13 years after the final battle with Belos Luz, Amity, & Willow are 27, Gus is 25, the twins are 29, and Eda and Lilith are in their late 50s, early 60sSet as apart of my Bad Boi AU. Check the warnings at the beginning of each chapter in the notes. Enjoy!
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Emira Blight/Viney
Comments: 36
Kudos: 224





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains depictions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.

“B...blood. Theres just so much blood,” Luz cried to herself as she cradled Amity’s limp body in her arms. This wasn’t supposed to happen, she thought, none of this was supposed to happen. Tears streaming down her face, Luz buried her head in the shoulder of the girl in her embrace. Battle raging around her, a shadow slowly crept across her skin carrying a feeling of danger strong enough to peak the human’s senses. 

“Its a pity, really,” dripped a voice like venom, “but no matter. She was weak and weakness has no place in the Blight family, let alone the emperor’s coven.” 

Eyes tracing up the figure, Luz trembled as she took in those words. “W... what kind of mother say that about her child?” Luz yelled, voice breaking with anger sharp enough to cut through her sorrow. “What kind of parents hurt their child?”

“Child? That poor excuse for a witch is no child of ours,” Mrs. Blight scoffed as she her eyes traveled behind Luz, a second shadow falling over the human from behind. “Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Indeed,” a deep voice boomed, echoing the looming presence of the man now towering over the human. “You see, human, much like you, there is no place in this world for people like her - people who don’t know their place.” Moving to take his place at his wife’s side, Amity’s father caught the human’s eye, pleased at the fear engraved in her face. “Amity had always been trouble. No matter how much we pushed her - how much we reminded her of this family’s legacy - she never could get it right. She was an embarrassment despite our best efforts; I guess the old adage holds true,” Mr. Blight’s voice seethed as he raised his hand, slowly preparing to draw a spell circle in the air, “you really can’t beat the failure out of someone. It’s a shame really.” 

Enraged, Luz mustered up every ounce of strength and courage left in her small body, gently placing the bloodied Amity on the floor before standing to face the green haired witch’s parents. “How could you?” she choked, pulling an ice glyph from her pocket as she prepared to charge towards the Blights only to be cut short at the close of the spell circle. Purple and gray hands shooting from the ground, Luz quickly found herself trapped, as she felt the grip of an abomination on her body. “S...shit...” Luz stammered as she slowly saw the world around her begin to turn. “W... what are you doing?” the human questioned, her body now positioned in front of Amity as the abomination’s grip on her tighten. 

“Save your breath human,” Mrs. Blight spewed as she and her husband made their way to their gravely injured daughter. “You hardly have any left. It would be a shame to see you waste it before you say goodbye.”

“What do you...” Luz stammered as she watched the Blights approach Amity. “Please, no!” Luz cried interrupting Amity’s parents as they began to draw spell circles. “Please, don’t hurt her anymore! Just... just take me instead!” the human huffed as the hand around her body tightened once more. 

“Trust me human, we will get to you in good time. Look around you - the destruction, the death, the hurt. All of this because you had the audacity to think that you could best the emperor,” Amity’s father growled as he gave the unconscious witch lying before him a kick. 

“Just stop! Why are you doing this? You’re problem is with me,” Luz begged, tears filling her eyes as she felt her ribs begin to bend under the tension of the abomination’s grasp. 

“Exactly,” Amity’s mother smirked, “and thats why we intend to make you suffer.” 

Drawing spell circles once more, the Amity’s father lifted his daughter in the air as a glowing sphere of energy formed in her mother’s hand as she prepared to deliver one final blow. “Watch closely human; her death is your doing,” Amity’s mother spewed, as a twisted grin crawled across her face. “Though I guess we should be thanking you; we never wanted her anyway.”

“Wait, no!” Luz choked as tears screamed down her face, desperate to break free to the abomination grasp. Struggling to no avail, the human helplessly watched as a burst of energy engulfed the helpless witch floating before her.


	2. Chapter 2

“Amity!” Luz screamed as she shot up in bed, sweat and tears raining down her face as fear forced her from her slumber. 

“Luz? Whats going on? Are you alright?” Amity piped, startled by the sudden noise as she awoke. 

“Amity...” Luz sobbed as she buried her head into her hands. 

“Luz, did...did you have another nightmare?” Amity whispered, putting her hand on the human’s shoulder as she moved to pull her into an embrace. 

Unable to speak, the human gazed up at the witch, tears streaming down her face as she offered a somber nod. It had been 13 years since that final battle - 13 years of sleepless nights that trailed the end of the war. Living in exile since Belos’ rise to power, Luz couldn’t help but blame herself for everything that had befallen the Boiling Isles. Before she arrived, there was an order to the land that people obeyed, living their lives well enough to be content. Sure they were limited to practicing one type of magic but that was just the way things were; why question it? After Luz’s arrival, however, question it people did.

Luz Noceda, having been the first human student in Hexside’s - a prestigious magic school - history, Luz had understandably caught the eye of the school’s administration. While residing with Eda Clawthorne, the most wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles added to the attention the human witch received in the public eye, the tipping point of her presence ultimately came from the way she learned magic. Luz was the first student in Hexside’s history to convince the school’s administration to let student’s study more than one type of magic through an act of heroism facilitated by the use of multiple types of magic the human had learned from her fugitive guardian. While expansion of learning was seemingly innocent enough, those in power across the Boiling Isles were not pleased as using multiple types of magic was traditionally reserved for only those in power - the Elite - everyone else being restricted to one. As such, because the human had created an environment where learning multiple magic types could become commonplace, and further, already knew multiple types of magic herself, those in power began to see the her as a threat. 

As time progressed, the human received more and more pushback from those in power, often being harassed or attacked by guards despite having not done anything wrong. Simultaneously, the school was receiving similar pushback from the governing body of the Boiling Isles as threats were made to cut credentials and funding if students continued to study multiple types of magic. Rumors began to swirl around town at the treatment of the human by the government as parents began to fear that their children would be stripped of their newly granted opportunity to learn in ways they were never allowed to. Enraged, Boiling Isles residents began to question the need to limit magic save for the Elite, receiving stark silence and continued pushback from the government. 

As public anger grew at continued attempts to limit what people were now recognizing as a right, peaceful protests were orchestrated with the human and her story largely becoming the face and driving force of the cause. Once again attempting to quell the situation and silence the public outcry, the government began to deploy agents to protests who often would use excessive force and violence to break the rallies up. This only furthered tensions between the Boiling Isles’ residents and the government as the recognition of the need to overthrow those in power began to dawn on people. 

Seeing this as a threat, Belos, a top government official, with the blessing of the then-Emperor orchestrated a raid one evening on a town where a small protest was taking place in an attempt to set an example for other nearby cities. Pushing back, the residents banned together, fighting a bloody battle to run the raid out of town, the news of which sparked an uprising across the Boiling Isles that ultimately resulted in the death of the then-Emperor. Second in command, Belos assumed the role of Emperor, ordering government forces to quell the uprising by any means necessary. 

Members of the Elite, Amity’s parents, Odelia and Alador Blight, lead government forces through countless merciless attacks against the rebellion, their efforts largely successful as groups of rebels were wiped out while others retreated. In a final act of disobedience, rebel forces waged an attack on the Blights and their army ultimately culminating in a battle that raged on for months. Caught in the cross fire, Amity found herself having to make a decision - choosing to stay by the side of her family or join the rebel forces in their cause for freedom. Choosing the side of the rebels, Amity fought against her parents alongside Luz, the rebels ultimately losing the battle that left her gravely wounded at the hands of her parents, and saw Belos status as Emperor solidified with rebel forces quashed. With his rise to power, Emperor Belos stripped everyone who refused to pledge their allegiance to him - who refused to join the Elite - of all magic, save glyphs, banishing them to the outskirts of the Boiling Isles. 

“Luz,” Amity whispered as she laid the human down, arms wrapped around her in a secure, and loving embrace. “Its okay, Luz. I’m here. Everything is okay.”

Heart rate slowly returning to normal as tears dried, Luz returned Amity’s embrace as her fingers slowly found their way to the back of Amity’s neck as they began to trace down the scars that blanketed the witches body. “It was the same nightmare as usual,” Luz finally spoke, voice barely audible. “It was that final battle and you were hurt and I... I thought I lost you... It... it just felt so real, Amity. Like we were there all over again...”

“Baby...” Amity sighed as she moved to run her fingers through the distraught human’s hair. “I know its scary but look at me, alright? I’m okay. We’re okay.”

“These scars,” Luz whimpered, “they are all my fault. All of this is. I... I should have never come here...”

“Luz, don’t say that,” Amity retorted, voice firm yet gentle. “This isn’t your fault; what happened to me, what happened across the Boiling Isles, none of that was your fault.”

“But how can you say that, Amity? All of this happened because I showed up and just had to...”

“No, Luz,” Amity interjected, “it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The tension between the people and the government had been building even before the conversation on magic use came about.” Pulling back to meet the eyes of the human in her arms, Amity couldn’t help but feel a mix of guilt and sorrow. Luz had never been the same after Amity’s brush with death that day. The once bubbly and positive girl had grown solemn, plagued by flashbacks and nightmares from the battles fought. Though it had been years since that time, Amity empathized with Luz; the memories, they were hard to shake. 

Sighing as she felt Amity’s fingers gently running through her hair, Luz finally sighed, letting the tension built up in her body melt away as she relaxed in Amity’s arms. “Yeah... I suppose you’re right” Luz muttered, burying her face into Amity’s shoulder. 

“Aren’t I always?” Amity chuckled, kissing the top of Luz’s head. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Luz laughed.

Humming, Amity spoke softly as she stared at a soft orange light making its way through the curtains draping the walls, “It looks like the sun is coming up. We should probably get up soon.”

“Hm, yeah, I suppose,” Luz spoke, voice trailing as her fingers mindlessly moved to trace Amity’s scares once more. “I doubt I could sleep anymore anyway.” 

“Same,” Amity hummed, kissing the forehead of human in her arms. 

“Hey Amity? I... I’m sorry,” Luz sighed as she looked up to meet the green haired witch’s eyes. “I... I just feel bad that these dreams keep happening. I keep waking you up and talking about the same thing over and...”

“Luz, no,” Amity interjected. 

“Huh?” Luz questioned, confusion on her face. 

“Please don’t ever feel like you need to apologize for having bad dreams or waking me up or needing to talk. I’m here for you, just like you’re here for me. I love you and even if I have to talk you through this a thousand more times, I promise you I’ll still be there for a thousand and one if you need it, okay?” Amity spoke with conviction, face firm as her eyes beamed with pure love. 

Taking in the words the green haired witch had offered, Luz sighed as she accepted. “Thank you, Amity. That... that means the world to me.”

“Well,” Amity remarked, “you mean the world to me, you big dork.”

“Hey...” Luz chuckled as she buried her head into Amity’s shoulder once more. 

“Alright, alright, but come on now; let’s get up. We should probably get some breakfast prepped for Eda and the others before we start today’s training,” Amity laughed, as she leaned her head atop Luz’s. 

Sighing at the prospect of another day learning and teaching glyph magic with a new team rebel forces, Luz gently let her body topple over in Amity’s arms as the two crashed back down into their mattress. “Mm, okay but 5 more minutes?” Luz whined, comfortable and content in Amity’s arms. 

“Luz...” Amity chuckled lightly, artificial annoyance in her voice. 

“Please?? I’ll make your favorite choco’nana pancakes,” Luz strategically negotiated. 

“Alright Noceda, you drive a hard bargain,” Amity laughed once more, the sound of her stomach growling cutting through the room causing Luz to laugh along. “But just five more minutes...”

“Aye aye, captain!” Luz chided as she snuggled further into Amity’s arms, the sound of her heartbeat gracing Luz’s ears like a chorus of angels. Like the green haired girl had said, she was alive and they were okay, the sound of her heart proving such with every rhythmic thump. In spite of how bleak things had been, how much darkness they battled through, and how much fighting and loss was yet to be known, for now, the two had each other. Pushing thoughts of the future momentarily out of her mind, Luz thought to herself, so long as they had each other, they would fix this - they could defeat Emperor Belos, they could restore magic, they could free the Boiling Isles - together. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains depictions of violence and alcohol use. Reader discretion is advised.

“I don’t know Luz, this plan seems kind of risky,” Eda sighed as she poured herself a second glass of apple blood. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking Belos by surprise but we don’t even know the people of Scarsburrow.”

“I hate to admit it but Edalyn has a point,” Lilith sighed looking over the battle plans Luz had spent days drafting in anticipation of their first raid to destroy one of Belos’s magic-blocking towers. “It just seems like it would serve us better to develop allies among the Scarsburrow town folk before we charge in. There are so few of us that having folks looking out for us on the inside almost seems necessary.”

Frustrated, Luz pondered the words of the older witches as she stared at the battle plans clutched in Lilith’s prosthetic hand. The concerns that the sisters had raised were valid, especially going into their first raid - the first fight - since the war. Unfortunately, the human couldn’t see any other way to approach the raid outside of relying on their own forces. They had trained tirelessly for years attempting to master glyph magic and over that time, had developed a seemingly unbreakable trust in their common goal of liberation. To turn to outside help now, on the cusp of what could be the start of a much needed revolution, seemed an unnecessary risk to the human. “Its true,” Luz finally spoke. “Our numbers are small but building trustworthy alliances across all of these cities in need of liberation could take years and even then, we’d run the risk of putting our trust in people who may end up betraying us. At least in the aftermath of however this raid ends up playing out, those who are truly invested in joining the fight will show themselves. To seek them out now just seems too big of a risk.”

“You’ve got a point there, kid,” Eda shrugged as she stared idly across the room.

“I don’t know,” Lilith sighed, “it still just seems like a lot to take on what with the town guards being able to perform more than just the elemental magic we are capable of. That alone gives them even greater numbers when considering they can rely on illusions and abominations. I am just concerned that our small force will be overwhelmed before we ever even have a chance to fight back.”

“And those are very valid concerns, I just... I don’t see how we can make this work any other way without potentially jeopardizing everything we have spent years working for - training for,” Luz huffed, voice tinged in frustration despite her understanding.

“Well, we still have a few more days to think things over,” Eda hummed breaking a small silence that had fallen across the table. “Why don’t we take a look at this with fresh eyes tomorrow? For now, we need to figure out who will be doing the weekly supply run. We’re dangerously low on the essentials,” the grey haired witch exclaimed. “We need bandages, medicine, glyph pads, toilet paper, not to mention more apple blood... how we manage to get anything done around here with our poor excuse for a stock pile is beyond me,” Eda snorted as she poured herself a third and final glass of apple blood, emptying the bottle. “Hope none of you wanted any, ha!”

——

“Edric, Emira,” Alador called from his study in the Blight Manor. “Present yourselves now. We need to discuss some troubling news.”

“Yes father?” Emira spoke, voice devoid of emotion as her and her brother made their way into the study, dressed in their emperor’s guard uniforms.

“What seems to be the problem, sir?” Edric questioned as he and Emira moved in front of their father’s desk, standing arrow straight as they waited intently.

“The Emperor has gotten word of a planned uprising in settlement of Scarsburrow. Apparently there are plans in place to destroy the magic blocking tower positioned at the outskirts of the city,” Alador explained as he studied a set of papers on his desk, never once moving to catch the eyes of his children.

“But father, how is that even feasible?” Edric questioned. “Why would anyone in their right mind attempt such a thing? With the amount of guards we have stationed around that town and tower, coupled with the fact that no one save the elite have magic... a raid just seems ludicrous.”

“Ludicrous indeed,” Alador agreed, “but more in the audacity than in any concern one may have around the fact that the raid is nothing more than a death sentence. As far as I am concerned, the less non-elite folks out there, the better.”

“I see,” Emira whispered, face absent of emotion as she stood in place. “If that is the case then, sir, what assistance do you require of me and Edric?”

“Its simple really. I want you and your brother to infiltrate this... this little rebellion and report back to me regarding their plans,” Alador explained, eyes pulling away from his papers as he stared at the siblings. “I suspect this shouldn’t be a problem for two of the top Emperor’s guardsmen now should it?”

“Not at all father,” Edric replied flatly. “But father if you will, how did the Emperor come across the information on the rebellion to begin with? Surely that must mean there is someone working on the inside already.”

“How very astute, Edric,” Alador chided. “There is someone on the inside, one of the rebels themselves in fact.”

“So they are non-elite then... but why would they betray their own?” Edric pressed further.

“Because son, everyone can be bought for the right price,” Alador smirked.

“So why do you need to send us in then? If you already have an informant that is,” Emira asked, continuing her brother’s line of questioning.

“Because, Emira dear, our rebel informant, they have no magic so outside of simply providing information, they are of no use,” Alador explained. “You and your brother on the other hand, you are powerful and could obliterate their entire pathetic little squad in one go which is exactly why we are sending you in.” Standing from his desk, the elder Blight walked across the room to small liquor cabinet situated at the back of his study, calmly pouring and taking a drink as he continued. “You see, I want you two to take care of this before it becomes a problem. You two are to lure them into a false sense of security and follow them into battle on the eve of the raid. Once at the magic-blocking tower, you two are to attack with no mercy until the entire force is eliminated.”

“And what makes you think they will trust us? It is well known across the Isles that Edric and I are two top ranking guardsmen,” Emira pressed.

“Because,” Alador spoke, sipping his drink once more, “the rebels are being lead by none other than your poor excuse for a sister and the human. Though it has been awhile, I am sure you’ll find away back into their good graces especially after you tell them you were tragically cast out by your horrid parents after enduring years of quiet abuse in your sister’s absence.”

“Again father, what makes you think they will trust us? Especially Amity. I find it unlikely that she will find any of that believable given her recollection of your and Mother’s preferential treatment of us...” Emira asked, knots beginning to form in her stomach in spite of her calm demeanor.

Taking another sip from his drink, Alador thought for just a moment before a wicked smile crossed his lips as he moved to approach his daughter, Edric and Emira not moving in the slightest as he made his way over. “I suppose you’re right,” the elder Blight said as he looked down at his daughter, “it would be quiet unbelievable in your current state. No matter. We will just have to fix that.” Finishing the last of his drink, Alador turned his back to the twins as placed the glass on the table before quietly muttering, “abomination, rise.”

Staring up from the ground, Emira found herself looking at the figure of her father standing over her, a large abomination hand gripping her torso, pinning her arms to her side. “Do forgive me daughter but you’re absolutely right,” Alador hummed as he took a slight step towards his daughter, positioning his foot over her lower leg, “we do need to make this believable if this is to work.” Without another word, the elder Blight raised his foot as he locked eyes with his daughter, noting the trained lack of fear across her face as he smashed his foot down on her shin, the sickening crack of bone the only sound heard across the room as Emira clenched her jaw, biting down on her tongue to keep from screaming as the taste of blood filled her mouth.

“There we go,” Alador said as he lifted his foot before taking a step forward and once again letting it fall on Emira’s wrist, a second crack ringing out. “Much more believable. Now then, you two have your orders. Edric, take your sister upstairs and you two change into your civilian clothes. I expect you two to leave first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Edric whispered, frozen in shock and horror though stoic-faced as he kept his eyes locked directly in front of him.

“Emira?” Alador questioned in the absence of a response from his daughter, the girl slowly sitting up on the floor having been released from the abomination’s grasp.

“Understood,” Emira spoke, voice unwavering.

“Very good. Be on your way now. I have business to attend to.”

Moving to help his sister up, Edric met Emira’s gaze with apologetic eyes as he noticed a look of pain starting to cloud his sisters’s face. Service to the Emperor was their duty despite any personal cost and they had their orders. All that was left now was to watch as things played out.

“Shit...,” Emira groaned as the two exited the room, Edric feeling a wave of sickness cross his stomach as he struggled to keep his wounded sister from stumbling. “What are we gonna do, Em?” he whispered as the two made their way upstairs to prepare.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey Amity!” Willow called from across the makeshift outdoor gym tucked in next to the rundown and relocated owl house, positioned at the far edge of the dark forest on the Shoulder of the Isles. She must not have heard, Willow thought to herself as she approached the green haired witch from behind, the witch in question tirelessly beating a punching bag Eda had retrieved from the human realm years before. Slowly making her way toward her friend, Willow observed her friend’s technique as she jabbed and punched, one Willow herself had trained her on long ago.

As the scars blanketing Amity’s back came closer into view as the peaked out of her workout top, Willow consciously redirected her path knowing her friend’s tendency to be easily startled when approached from behind, a symptom of the lingering trauma caused by the life threatening violence inflicted on the green haired girl by her parents. Catching Amity’s eye as she approached head on, Willow smirked as Amity dropped her arms before grasping the punching bag to stop it from swinging. “Hey Ami,” Willow hummed, “your technique certainly has improved!”

“Hey thanks, Willow!” Amity grinned, “I had a pretty great teacher.”

“The best, I heard,” Willow teased.

“Oh indeed,” Amity chuckled as she took in the sight of the smile on her friend’s face. “How are you today?”

“I’m doing okay,” Willow hummed as the smile on her face fell slightly, her intent in finding her friend coming to mind.

“Are you sure about that?” Amity said noticing the slight change in Willow’s demeanor.

“Well actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Of course. Let me grab my shirt and we can go talk at the look out.”

Nodding in agreement, Willow watched as Amity grabbed a plain black t-shirt that had been resting on a log positioned several yards from the punching bag. Shirt in tow, the pair made their way into the forest, walking in a comfortable silence. Journeying ever so slightly into the woods before turning to walk down a path leading towards softly glowing light, Willow took in the view of the nature surrounding the pair as she tried to relax her mind in anticipation of the forthcoming conversation.

Making their way out of the forest, Willow and Amity found themselves by the edge of a cliff overlooking the lower Shoulder of the Boiling Isles, small exile towns spread across the horizon in view as the two looked out before finding a place to sit.

“You know, its beautiful in a tragic way,” Amity said, breaking the silence between the pair. “Each of those little towns hold so much life, so much resilience in the face of the adversity created by the war.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Everyone has been through so much and yet day to day, are just living out their lives as best as they can despite having everything stripped away from them by Belos. I don’t know whether to be hopeful or hopeless with it all sometimes,” Willow sighed.

“Yeah,” Amity sighed in agreement. “I honestly don’t even know what to make of it all. Sometimes I think about the fact that since this all happened, theres a whole new generation of witches out there that have grown up knowing nothing but living in exile, poverty, and life without magic.” Staring further into the distance, Amity studied the landscape before speaking once more, voice cracking. “Sometimes I can’t help but feel responsible for all of this in a way. It was by my family’s hand that Belos came into power what with their political support and ruthless violence in battle. I just... I just hope that with the coming raid, we can... I can start to make some of this right, you know?”

“Yeah,” Willow whispered as she moved to stare at the side profile of her friend. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Amity, the raid that is.”

“I see... Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong per say so much as I am  
worried about Luz. She’s been going at the plans for days and it doesn’t look like shes been getting nearly enough rest and well... well I heard her debrief with Eda and Lilith didn’t go too well today. It all just seems like its taking a toll on her and I’m concerned. Much like you, she blames herself for everything thats happened and well, its just a lot to shoulder, for her and you both... especially when none of it was your fault.”

Staring at the blue haired witch’s eyes, Amity thought for a moment as she processed her friends words before letting out a small sigh.

“Its okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Willow whispered. “I don’t want to put you in an awkward position or cross any lines or anything...”

“No, its okay, Willow,” Amity finally remarked. “Honestly, I’m really worried about her too. She... she hasn’t been sleeping; not that shes slept well in years but... but it seems like with everyday we get closer to the raid, the worse her nightmares get.”

“Nightmares?” Willow questioned. “You mean about the war?”

“Yeah,” Amity replied softly, hugging her knees to her chest as her fingertips traced a set of scars that ran down the back of her leg. “I'm not sure what is exactly triggering it, granted theres a multitude of things it could be, be it the stress of training everyone, planning the raid, or having to... to look at me,” Amity sighed as her voice trailed, fingers idly brushing over her scars as she attempted to reign in her thoughts. “I’m not even sure how to help to he honest and of course, every time I ask, in typical Luz fashion she swears shes fine but... but she isn’t. She hasn’t been for a long time and its taking a toll on her.”

“I see,” Willow remarked softly as she slowly extended her hand, making eye contact with Amity before placing it on the green haired witch’s shoulder in support.

“Its selfish but... but sometimes I wish she would just give up on trying to fix this - on worrying about planning and conducting the raids. I just... I just feel like she deserves to be happy and she’ll never have that while shouldering all of this.”

“Its not selfish, Ami,” the blue haired witch spoke as she rubbed small circles with her thumb on her friend’s shoulder. “I think we all just want her to be happy. Its just so hard seeing her like this...”

“It really is,” Amity sighed. “But to go back to your, comment earlier, I also hear about her debrief with Eda and Lilith today - both from Eda and Lilith as well as from Luz, and well, as much as I can see where Eda and Lilith are coming from, I agree with Luz on this one. We can’t afford to bring anyone new into our operation now. Its just too risky.”

Moving to position her eyes once again on the small exile towns littering the horizon, Amity couldn’t shake the look of concern that had formed on her face. It always seemed to come down to this - choosing between the lesser of two evils - gambling at which course of action would result in the least amount of lives lost. “I honestly just don’t know what to do, Willow. Not with Luz, not with any of this,” Amity sighed as she turned her eyes to the sky.

“Its okay, Ami,” Willow gently hummed as she too moved to stare into the sky, “at the very least, you don’t have to figure it out alone.”

“Thank you, Willow,” Amity smiled, “I’m grateful to have you in my life.”

“Always,” the blue haired girl nodded.

“Do you want to head back?”

“Not yet,” Willow remarked. “This peacefulness, its kind of nice. May as well enjoy it a little longer.”

Staring at the blue haired witch who moved to lay back in the grass, Amity couldn’t help but grin as a feeling of tranquility washed over her - a feeling that was all too few and far between. “Yeah,” Amity hummed as she let herself plop down on the grass, the movement of which causing Willow to laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I usually am,” Willow smirked.

——

“What do you think you’re doing here?” Luz shouted as two faces the human had not seen in years made their way out of the forest, slowly approaching the owl house.

“Answer her, now!” Gus shouted as he pulled an ice glyph from small glyph packet his pocket, readying himself as he stood beside Luz.

“Please, just let me explain,” one of the voices pleaded as it’s owner continued to make its way forward, a weary groan escaping the lips of it’s companion.

“Not another step,” Luz growled as she too moved to ready a glyph, preparing to defend the owl house and its occupants by any means necessary.

“Luz, I’m begging you just...” the voice said as its owner slowly reached its hand out, bodies moving forward ever so slightly in desperation.

“You’ve been warned!” Gus exclaimed as he slammed the glyph to the floor, ice blanketing the surrounding area as it crawled under the intruders’ feet, their bodies quickly losing traction as the violently made their way to earth.

“Luz...” the voice begged before being cut off, vines surrounding the intruders’ bodies as Luz activated a plant glyph before her and Gus made their way over the side of their captives.

Staring down at the green haired witches dressed down in civilian clothes, Luz remained stoic as she stared into their eyes, Gus at the ready as he awaited some sort of indication as what to do next. “Edric...” Luz muttered as she crouched down, leaning over the body of the guardsman as she removed a knife from her pocket. Watching as the Blight’s eyes grew wide in anticipation, Luz raised her knife to his face as the green haired witch squeezed his eyes shut in fear. “Talk. Now,” Luz demanded as she sliced the vine covering Edric’s mouth before turning her eyes to Emira, who laid motionless on the floor, breath labored as she stared back, eyes half shut.

“Luz please,” Edric pleaded, “I know you have no reason to trust us and we... well we have no right to ask you to but Em... shes hurt, Luz... shes hurt bad and we... we need help.”

“Why come here?” Luz asked curtly. “Surely you have access to the best medical care possible being Elite and all.”

“Yeah,” Gus sneered, “seems like something your parents could fix pretty easily or are they only in the business of hurting people?”

Grimacing at the comment, Edric turned his head to face Emira as best as he could within his bounds. “They are...” Edric muttered. “Our father... he’s the one who did this to her...”

Glancing at Gus who’s face bore a slight expression of shock at the comment, Luz sighed as she felt her stomach turn. Standing to leave Edric’s side, Luz quietly made her way to Emira, as she kneeled down to perform a quick visual inspection of the girl. Noting the crude splints on the girls’s arm and leg, Luz sighed meeting Emira’s tired, pleading eyes causing the human to slightly frown. “Gus,” Luz finally spoke. “Run inside and get Eda or Lilith. Tell them we need help.”

Nodding in agreement, Gus quickly turned to make his way inside. “We’ll help you,” Luz mumbled, pulling her knife out once more as she began to cut Emira free of the vines surrounding her, a whimper of pain escaping the girl’s lips as the movement jostled her leg. “I don’t know what your deal is just yet,” Luz explained as she stood once more to return to Edric, cutting him free of the vines that bound him save the ones around his wrists, “so until you explain exactly whats going on, those remain.”

Nodding in agreement, Edric felt a slight feeling of relief wash over his body as tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. “Luz,” the green haired witch choked, “thank you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains discussions of abuse and descriptions of injuries. Reader discretion is advised.

“And so you brought them here?” Amity huffed, voice laced with venom as she was alerted to her brother and sister’s presence one room over. 

“It was either that or leave them to fend for themselves and with the shape your sister is because of your parents, I doubt they would have made it very far,” Luz sighed as she tried to reason with the girl. “Besides, they are of no threat right now. We put magic limiting glyphs on both of them and your brother’s hands are bound.”

“And my sister?” Amity questioned, still struggling with the idea of her siblings presence. 

“She’s in a bad way, kid,” Eda said, referring to the injuries the eldest Blight daughter had sustained. “I doubt she’ll have it in her to do anything anytime soon let alone be a threat.”

“Fine,” Amity sighed relenting, trusting Luz and Eda’s judgement in allowing her sibling to stay. “Do you have any idea what they want? Or how they found us for that matter,” Amity questioned as she met Luz’s eyes, a look of inquisition and concern on her face. 

“Not sure. We wanted to wait for you and Willow to get back before we started questioning the two,” Luz sighed. 

“Alright,” Amity nodded as she stared at her partner, her gaze softening, “but we should probably go talk to them now. I’d like to this over with sooner rather than later. 

“Okay, love,” Luz nodded in agreement. 

“Should we go get Boscha and the others?” Gus questioned before ushering to Willow. 

“No,” Luz said after thinking for a moment. “I think its best that if we keep it to just us and Eda and Lilith until we figure out what is going on.”

“I agree,” Amity spoke as she moved to walk towards the room her brother and sister occupied as the others stood to follow. As Amity walked to the room that held her siblings, what was normally a journey of but a few yards felt miles long as apprehension built in her stomach. It had been years since she last saw the twins, the final time having been the night she almost lost her life. Despite her hopes of the two one day joining her side, much to her dismay, the twins stayed in line with their parents and thus the Emperor. Heart growing cold after years spent apart, Amity vowed that the next time she saw them would be the day she and the rebellion took the emperor down. 

As such, the twins sudden appearance back in her life under such vulnerable circumstances left the green haired witch on edge, wary of the intentions behind their presence. Slowly turning the handle to the door of the twin’s room, Amity took a deep breath as she prepared to once again face her brother and sister. 

“Amity...” Edric spoke, voice trailing as the door opened, his eyes meeting the girl standing in front of him. 

Pausing for a moment, Amity took in the sight of her brother, face worn from exhaustion and aged by battle. Eyes trailing across the room, Amity took note of her sister laid up in bed, her arm and leg encased in plaster as she rested, her brow furrowed in pain. “Edric...” Amity finally responded as she took a seat, Luz and company following suit. 

“You’ve really grown up, huh Amity?” Edric spoke softly as he stared at his younger sister, taking eyeing the scars that peaking out of the collar and sleeve of her shirt as his stomach knotted with guilt. 

“Time and battle will do that to a person as I’m sure you know, but were not here for pleasantries, Edric,” Amity scoffed as she momentarily broke eye contact with her brother, her eyes once again landing on her older sister. “Now tell me, what are you doing here? And be warned, if you even think of lying to me, I will end you here and now,” Amity remarked, locking eyes with her brother, a cold glare on her face. 

“We... we needed help,” Edric started, the pressure of those staring out at him from across the room weighing down on him. 

“And why seek it here,” Amity questioned. “You’re a Blight. An Elite. Surly you had options.”

“No... we didn’t. Dad he... he was the one who hurt Emira,” Edric stammered as he wrestled with the decision to tell his sister the truth. On one hand, doing so would free him of the reign of his parents for good and spare his sister and former friends. On the other hand, in being forthcoming, he and Emira would no longer be able to walk through life without a target on their back and with no allies, the option was as good as a death sentence. 

“That bastard hasn’t changed a bit, has he?” Amity spat without blinking an eye, flashbacks of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her parents playing back in her mind. 

“He hasn’t...” Edric muttered as he studied his sisters face, her eyes heavy with anger and sadness, face solemn and tired, faint marks of past battles littering it. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the younger Blight finally spoke, her face momentarily softening as Edric noted her first show of emotion since entering the room. “But that doesn’t answer the question, Edric. “Why have you come here? And how did you find this place?” Amity questioned voice cold and stoic once more. 

“We...” Edric started before closing his eyes, taking one last moment to think - to decide. Staring at his sister once more, his stomach turned and his heart clenched, the scars her parents gave her staring daggers at him. “Dad sent us here,” Edric finally breathed, deciding to tell the truth. 

“What?” Amity questioned, taken aback. 

“Dad knows, Amity,” Edric sighed as he leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, “he knows about your team; he knows about the raid.” 

“But how?” Luz demanded, shocked at what she was hearing, angry murmurs blanketing the room. 

“I don’t know who all you’ve recruited, but theres a mole among you,” Edric remarked. 

“That can’t be right...” Gus spoke in disbelief.

“Well it is,” Edric shrugged. “I can’t say who it is because I don’t know myself, but... but someone here is being paid to report back to the Elite. Dad knows everything; where you are and what you’re planning. That’s why Emira and I are here. That’s why she’s hurt.”

“What do you mean,” Amity growled softly. 

“Dad sent us to infiltrate your team. He asked us to win you over and to join your team; he asked us to earn your trust by playing to your sympathies. He told us to say we left because we were being abused and then... and then broke Em’s arm and leg to make the lie believable.”

“And after that?” Amity asked swallowing back the feelings of terror her father’s image sparked in her. “What was the end goal in all of this, Edric?”

“He... he asked us to betray you,” Edric stammered in fear and shame, “he asked us to use our magic to kill you all on the night of the raid.”

Processing what they had just heard, silence fell over the room as the team stood in shock. Everything they had worked for - spent years tirelessly training for - was at risk of being for naught. 

“So what happens to you now?” Luz muttered cutting through the silence as she studied her former friend’s face. “You’ve betrayed the emperor and your parents, and are currently at our mercy. So tell me, what so you plan to do now? What do you gain from telling us this?”

“Nothing in the least,” Ed murmured as he averted his gaze, “or death at the most... but that’s neither here nor there. I... I didn’t tell you this because I expected anything to come out of it other than sparing you any further hurt.” 

“Any further hurt? ANY FURTHER HURT?” Amity yelled as she stood to face her brother. “You expect us to believe that you really give a shit about our well being? You really expect us to believe that after you chose to side with the emperor - with mom and dad - after everything they did to us? After what they did to me? After what you two did to me...” Amity screamed, voice straining as tears of anger filled her eyes, staring back at a wide-eyed look of fear and remorse on Edric’s face. 

“Amity I...” Edric stammered as everyone save the two Blights remained silent. 

“Does she know?” Amity interjected as she looked to her sister. 

“Does she know what?” Edric questioned. 

“Does she know you were planning on telling us the truth?” 

Turning his head away in shame at the question Edric let out a heavy sigh, “No... she doesn’t. We had talked about it on the way here... about what we should do... if we should be honest or...”

“... or go through with it...” Amity muttered as tears quietly streamed from dead eyes. 

“... yeah,” Edric whispered as he shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Amity. For everything; for all that we’ve done and for even thinking about going through with it.”

“Why didn’t you...” Amity spoke devoid of emotion. 

“Why didn...”

“WHY DIDNT YOU GO THROUGH WITH IT?” the youngest Blight snapped. 

“Because of you, Amity!” Edric sobbed as he once again met his sister’s gaze. “Seeing you... seeing all of you... it just... I couldn’t go through with it... I can’t... I can’t hurt you again,” Edric whimpered as he pleaded. “Please, Amity, I...”

“Then you should have never come here,” Amity said as she wiped her eyes, face expressionless despite the pain that radiated from the girl. 

Turning from her brother and avoiding the gaze of everyone else in the room, Amity calmly walked out, closing the door behind her as she breathed a quiet sob before running.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This chapter contains descriptions of violence and the use of alcohol. Reader discretion is advised.

“I overreacted, I know,” Amity sighed as she felt a cold hand on her shoulder as she stared out into the distance, letting her feet dangle over the edge of the cliff on which she sat. 

“On the contrary, my dear. I think you handled that quite well,” Lilith spoke softly as she gave Amity’s shoulder a gentle pat. “May I?” the older witch questioned, ushering to the ground with her prosthetic hand. 

“Of course,” Amity sighed smiling weakly, avoiding eye contact with the witch she’d come to see as a mother. 

Sitting beside the green haired witch, Lilith sighed softly, eyes facing forward so as not cause the younger witch any undue stress at her presence. “Care to share whats on your mind?”

“Honestly,” Amity breathed, “I... I don’t even know where to begin. The last thing I expected today was to see them of all people,” the green haired witch huffed as she thought of her siblings, her stomach once again knotting in conflict over their arrival. “And then to hear that everything we’ve planned and trained for - sacrificed for - is in jeopardy... its just a lot.” 

“Hmm,” Lilith sighed as she continued to take in the land in front of her. “It has been a lot, hasn’t it? But I suppose that just means we need to pivot our plans for now. Our work hasn’t been in vain; our approach to meeting our goal just needs to change. We will make it work.” 

“Yeah, I suppose,” Amity muttered as she dropped her gaze down to her feet. 

“Is something else bothering you, dear?”

“I... I just feel like such a coward... you know, for running away.” 

“Amity...”

“It’s kind of funny in a way. In my head, I always imagined that the next time I saw my family would be back on the battle field - that I would be stronger and able to fight back. I imagined giving them a taste of the hurt that they gave me before putting an end to their reign of terror. But then Ed and Em showed up and... and it all came rushing back...” Amity sighed. “Seeing them brought me back. All the training, all the time spent getting stronger... its like it all went out the window because in seeing them I... I just felt like that scared, little kid all over again. It’s pathetic, I’m sure...”

“Amity,” Lilith spoke softly, her eyes finally landing on the girl as she studied her body language before speaking. Noting the tension in Amity’s shoulders contrasting against the look of sorrow on her face, Lilith slowly raised a hand, her movement catching Amity’s eye, as she moved to gently grasp the young witch’s shoulder. “You know I’ve never been in the business of telling you what you should or shouldn’t feel but from where I sit, it seems like you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“Lilith...”

“What you went through - what your family put you through - is something no one should ever have to go through. You survived something extremely traumatic, Amity; I’d be worried if it didn’t leave some sort of mark on you,” Lilith hummed as she ran a thumb over the scars on Amity’s shoulder. “Scars aren’t just reserved for the realm of the physical; they can be psychological or emotional as well. It makes sense that it hurt seeing your siblings again - that it brought about fear. It doesn’t make you weak to have or acknowledge those feelings, and it certainly isn’t pathetic.”

Feeling tears pool in the corner of her eyes, Amity studied the older witch’s face, searching for any hint of insincerity in her words and finding none. Cautiously opening the doors embedded into the walls spanning her heart, the green haired girl nodded, in quiet understanding, graciously accepting the words her mentor offered. What her family did to her - the feelings seeing them again brought up - it was a lot. Even if her siblings hadn’t been the ones to physically harm her, they had aligned themselves with the people who did. That day - that final battle - as she lay dying, broken and bleeding out on the dirt of the battle field, her siblings chose their parents over her. More than anything else she had endured that day, that single act of betrayal hurt the most. 

Feeling Amity’s head softly land on her shoulder, Lilith wrapped an arm around the green haired girl who let out a content sigh at the act of comfort. “We’re going to figure this out, okay?” the older witch hummed. “At the very least, we know to be prepared, but for now, take whatever time you need to feel better. We are all here for you, Amity; I’m here for you.” Gently running her finger’s through the younger witch’s hair, Lilith smiled softly as she heard the girl breath a quiet yet needed sob. “Training aside, you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Amity and I couldn’t be more proud of you.” 

Feeling a sense of calm wash over her, Amity sniffled after several minutes of sitting in silence in her mentor’s embrace. “Thank you, Lilith,” Amity mumbled as she sat up, wiping her eyes with the back of her arm. 

“You’re welcome, my dear. I’ll always be here for you, anytime you need.,” Lilith smiled as she turned her gaze back on the now setting sun. “We should start heading back soon, though. It will be getting dark and cold any minute now,” Lilith said as she turned to Amity with a smirk eyeing the goosebumps that had formed on Amity’s arms. “Titan knows you’ll catch the death of you out here beings as you decided to run away without grabbing a jacket first,” the older witch chided much to Amity’s amusement. 

“Ugh, whatever, Mom,” Amity groaned, half joking as she rolled her eyes, Lilith’s arm once again wrapping around her shoulder as she was given a playful shake. Heart warm at her guardian’s concern, Amity couldn’t help but smile. 

“You know its true,” Lilith sang, placing a small kiss atop Amity’s head before standing. Reaching her hand out to help Amity up, the older witch couldn’t help but feel her heart swell at title the girl had so graciously bestowed upon her, even in jest. There was nothing she wouldn’t give for Amity after all, Lilith thought to herself, and that, plus a little bit of nagging, was what mothers were for. 

——

“She’s still not awake?” Amity spoke flatly as she took in the sight of her brother stationed beside her sister’s bed. 

“No, she’s not,” Edric sighed as he stared at Emira, “but it looks like her fever has finally broke which is a good sign.”

It had been several days since her siblings arrival and the first time Amity had spoken to Edric since. Taking Lilith’s advice, the youngest Blight had opted to allow herself some space to process her feelings before approaching her siblings once more. Still not knowing quite what to make of their sudden return, after subsequently conferring with Luz, the green haired girl opted to accept the situation for what it was. “I suppose it is,” Amity muttered as she entered the room, taking a seat next to her brother. 

“I’m honestly surprised she’s been out so long,” Edric sighed in worry. “I’m guessing its from shock and maybe some kind of infection from delayed treatment but its troubling nonetheless,” Edric spoke before turning to Amity who offered a small nod. 

“Listen,” Amity spoke sternly. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m happy that you guys are here and I can’t say that I trust you or forgive you in the slightest but...” the youngest Blight sighed, “I’ve made peace with your presence and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about her or you for that matter.”

“Amity...”

“That being said, we’ve decided we’ll help you until Emira’s healed but in that time, you need to make a decision,” Amity spoke as she faced her brother. “You either choose to side with the rebellion or you face the consequences of not.” Pulling a knife from her belt, Amity cut the ropes around her brother’s wrists that had since replaced the vines that had bound him as he stared at her. “Consider this your one chance to make things right. Given how bad the breaks dad gave her are, that gives you quite a bit of time to make up your mind,” Amity ushered to Emira. “It also gives you quite a bit of time to fuck up and so help me if you fuck this chance I’m give you up, Edric...” Amity muttered meeting her brother’s eyes. “Do you understand me?”

“Understood,” Edric said quietly as he stared down at his unbound hands. 

“Good. Now go clean up and get something to eat. Eda and Lilith will find you some fresh clothes.”

“Thank you, Amity,” Edric nodded as he stood to exit the room. “Which way...”

“The kitchen is the door to the left and the washroom is to the right of that - same as when we were kids,” Amity said nostalgically, thinking back on the happier times they had spent at the owl house before the onset of the war. Watching Edric make his way out if the room, Amity huffed before turning back to Emira. “And just how long have you been awake?”

“How could you tell?” Emira groaned, wincing slightly as she shifted in the bed. 

“I saw your ears twitch as soon as I spoke,” Amity rolled her eyes, “I should have guessed you’d wake for the gossip.”

“You know me,” Emira chuckled lightly. 

“I guess I do... or I thought I did, anyway,” Amity muttered. 

“Amity,” Emira spoke as she extended her injured hand, hoping Amity would take it, “I know no amount of apologizing can fix thing but I just want you to know, I am so, so sorry... for everything.”

Staring at her sister’s outstretched hand, Amity thought for a moment before deciding to take it. “You’re right. It won’t fix things but thank you for saying so nonetheless.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Emira sighed as she closed her eyes. “If anything, thank you. You and your friends, you didn’t have to help us... especially after everything we’ve done... what we were told and planned to do. We don’t deserve your kindness in the slightest but... but I am grateful for it. You’re a better person than Ed and I have ever been.”

“And just how do you know it was decided that you two wouldn’t be moving forward with your plans?” Amity questioned, deflecting what she assumed to be her sister’s attempts to bring peace. 

“Ed and I had talked about it on the way over, whether or not we were going to go through with what Dad had asked of us... There should have never been a discussion, Amity. The thought of hurting you should have never crossed our minds but it did. And then we came across the owl house; we saw Luz and Gus and before I fell out, I looked at Ed and I knew there was no way we could do it. I don’t know what happened between now and then but I do know Ed and I trust he felt the same and told you so.”

“Yeah...” Amity muttered as she felt her sister’s weak grip tighten slightly. 

“I know it’s none of my business but, what happens now, Amity?” Emira questioned as she met her sisters eyes, fully taking in the sight of the scarred young Blight for the first time in years. “The Emperor... he knows. You guys aren’t safe here...”

“You’re right,” Amity scowled at her sister’s question, wondering how much she was to blame for the rebellion’s present situation with the Emperor. “It is non...”

Cut off as an explosion rocked the house, Amity felt herself lurch forward as her body made contact with her sister’s. Ears ringing, Amity carefully stood, noting the pained expression on Emira’s face, Amity having landed on her broken arm. Quickly exiting the room, the green haired witch stumbled over pieces of broken wood and brick as she made her way towards the living room, her eyes met with the sight of Luz and Willow laying unconscious on the floor. “Amity, move!” the green haired witch heard Gus shout through the muffled ringing in her ears as a blast rocked the wall to the left of her, throwing her back a second time. 

“Shit...” Amity muttered to herself, as she stood, wiping the blood trailing from her mouth as several Emperor’s guardsmen made their way into the leveled room. 

“To your right!” Lilith shouted as she slammed down an ice glyph, Amity moving out of the way at the command as she watched two of the guardsmen slip as several more approached, blasts of energy forming in their hands. 

Pulling a stack of glyphs from her pockets, Amity charged towards the onslaught guardsmen on full offense as she joined her remaining teammates in defense of their home. 

——

“So Edric and Emira have aligned themselves with their sister...” Alador muttered as he poured himself a glass of liquor.

“They have, sir,” a nasally voice spoke through a slight grin. 

“All as expected,” Alador spoke flatly as he took a drink. “A good first step though I assume it will take some time before they are trusted fully.”

“Indeed but from what I’ve heard, the human and her mentor have decided to give them a chance. Amity should be speaking with the twins about it some time today.”

“Perfect,” Alador smirked. “My troops are on their way to the rebel’s hide out as ww speak. The coming onslaught should provide ample opportunity for the twins to prove their loyalty to the rebels.”

“Yes, it shall. When all is said and done, I will report back with more information with our plans coming out of the fight so you can make a determination on how to move forward with carrying out the Emperor’s plans.”

“Very good,” Alador grinned as he pulled a small bag of snails from his coat pocket. “You’ve done well.”

“Thank you, sir,” the nasally voice spoke once more as they gratefully accepted their payment.

Nodding as he took another sip of his drink, Alador hummed in contentment. “Now run along. You’ll want to be there when the guards attack so as not to bring suspicion on yourself.”

“Okay, sir,” the voice agreed before bowing and making an exit. 

Waiting until after he no longer heard footsteps, Alador summoned his scroll, finishing his drink before placing a call. “Everything is right on track,” Alador hummed into the device. “The rebels will be quashed before they even have a chance to become a problem.”

“Good,” a voice on the other end of the line spoke. “I trust you will not fail me.”

“Of course not, my lord,” Alador offered in agreement before being met with the click of a dead line. “Everything is just as it should be.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains depictions of blood, physical violence, strong language, and alcohol use. Reader discretion is advised.

“Amity!” Edric yelled as he pulled himself up from the rubble. “Amity what... what do I do?” the frightened witch cried, looking around as battle raged on around him, helpless and confused, his magic having been limited since arriving as an unwanted guest at the owl house. 

“Shit...” Amity muttered under her breath, activating a fire glyph in her hand before turning to punch the face of an attacking guardsman. “Just... just go look after, Em!” the scarred witch shouted, turning her attention to her brother as her enemy fell to the floor. Seeing Edric nood before heading to protect their injured sister, Amity’s mind quickly slipped to worry as the thought of what had prompted this attack quickly consumed her. “Fucking mole...” Amity muttered through a fit of anger under her breath as she continued to push back against the enemy, blood soon exiting the wounds she incurred in the process; whoever was working for her parents, this had to be their doing. 

“Move!” Boscha shouted, shoving Amity out of the line of fire of several guardsmen who’s relentless onslaught of attacks created crater after crater of damage to the already war-torn owl house. “Are you trying to get knocked back a third time or what?” Boscha scoffed as she quickly offered Amity a hand, pulling the girl from the ground who fired an ice glyph that whizzed past the triclop’s face and into the skull of an ensuing guardsman. 

“No,” Amity grunted, activating and launching a barrage of fire glyphs at several more guards, narrowly dodging a blast of energy aimed at her torso in the process. “As much as I appreciate the concern, you’d best watch your own back,” Amity smirked, quickly looking back at Boscha who’s eyes rolled as she pulled a plant glyph from her side pouch. “What took you and Matt so long to get here anyway?” Amity questioned, ducking as the thorns Boscha summoned fired off, taking out three approaching guardsmen in the process. 

“Let’s just say Matt and I got a little caught up taking care of some business in town,” Bosha scoffed, pulling several more glyphs from her pocket before picking up a spear a guardsman had dropped. “Running errands in Bonesborough as a wanted witch isn’t exactly the easiest task what with your parent’s goons running around after all.” Placing a fire glyph on the handle of the spear, Boscha tightened her grip on the weapon prior to activating and launching the glyph before it pierced the chest of a wagon-driving guardsmen, the vehicle and the guard subsequently catching fire. “Fuck, how many more of these clowns are there?” Boscha growled.

“Get down!” The Amity heard yelled from behind, prompting her and the triclops to drop to the ground as a wave of ice shot over them. 

“Well look who finally decided to wake up,” Amity smirked as she rose to her feet, the smug look on her girlfriend’s face beaming in spite of the blood that trickled down her cheek. “Nice shot, Luz.”

“Well excuse me for taking one for the team,” Luz scoffed through a sly grin before pulling several more glyphs from her jacket. 

“Yeah, okay, Luz... If memory serves, I believe I was the one who took one for the team,” Willow grunted, slamming several plant glyphs to the ground before dodging several shots of energy as a guard approached her. “Correct me if I’m wrong but it was me who pushed you out of the way to take the brunt of the blow.”

“Is that what happened?” Luz laughed, dragging her arm across her forehead to wipe blood and sweat from her face. “Because I could have sworn...”

“Luz!” Eda yelled, as she shot off a water glyph that collided midair with a blast of fire aimed directly at the human. “As much as I love you and your chipper banter, can we focus on getting rid of the emperor’s henchmen before my house ends looking even more like Swiss cheese than it already does?”

“Whoops,” Luz laughed sheepishly before activating another glyph, once again joining her friends in battle against the Emperor’s forces. 

Blasts ravaging the land surrounding the owl house, the battle raged on for what seemed to be hours though was not more than twenty minutes. Heavily wounded with troops numbering in the tens, the remaining Emperor’s guardsmen retreated, taking their dead with them but not before swearing revenge on behalf of the crown. 

——

“Have the troops returned yet, dear?” Odalia asked as she entered her husband’s study. “I assume your little spy has already come and gone for the day?”

“No they haven’t and yes, they have,” Alador said, taking a sip from a glass that sat in front of him. “It would seem that the twins have chosen to side with Amity and the rebels despite our direct orders.”

“I see,” Odalia hummed as she took her husband’s glass, consuming the remaining liquid, the room smelling of expensive whisky and perfume. “No matter. So long as they are there it will be easier to keep an eye on the rebels what with the Emperor’s mark on them.”

“Indeed,” Alador said flatly as he poured himself another drink, wiping the lipstick stains off his glass before looking at his wife. “If my memory serves correct, it is only you and me who the Emperor granted access to the spells necessary keep tabs on marked guardsmen?” 

“That is correct,” Odalia smirked, once again stealing her husband’s glass. “You know, at the time, it seemed a shame that a system of monitoring high-ranking troops had to be put in place. To have to brand your own soldiers just to ensure that they are not engaging in treason is pitiful to say the least.”

“Yes and I suppose we have Lilith Clawthorne’s betrayal during the war to thank for that,” Alador scoffed. 

“Thank indeed,” Odilia grinned, sipping whisky after swirling the liquid, “after all, had she not betrayed the emperor, we’d have no way of monitoring our children, now would we?”

“I suppose,” Alador shrugged drawing a spell circle in the air, silent moving images of Edric and Emira coming into vision on the crystal ball that sat at the edge of his desk. “Though who’s bright idea it was to create a system without a sound spell is beyond me...”

“No matter dear,” Odalia hummed, setting the half consumed glass down. “Between keeping an eye on the twins and the information your little spy gathers, I’m sure we’ll be more than prepared for anything the rebels throw at us.”

Reaching for his glass, Alador let out a small sigh, content but not fully satisfied with the amount of surveillance currently in place at the owl house. His wife’s hand once again grabbing the glass, the brown haired man found his temporary relief cut short, anger forming at the smug look on the green haired woman’s face. 

“Whats the matter, dear?” Odalia hummed as she took the whisky bottle from Alador’s desk, topping off her drink. “Surely, you must have another glass,” she smirked as a small ping cut through the room. Summoning her scroll as her husband begrudgingly retrieved a glass for himself, the matriarch raised an eyebrow as she looked at the screen. 

“Who is it?” Alador grumbled as he poured a drink. 

“Kikimora,” Odalia said flatly. “Our troops have returned from the owl house with only a meager 12 left alive.”

“Thats very telling considering we sent 60 mid-level soldiers,” Alador said nonchalantly as he sipped his glass. 

“Indeed it is,” Odalia lauded. 

“It would seem the glyph users are more powerful than we give them credit for,” Alador stated flatly. 

“Yes, but no matter,” Odalia shrugged. “Much like chess, it comes as no surprise when a pawn takes a pawn. So long as we are strategic in how we play our more powerful players, I’m sure we’ll find the rebellion to be of little threat.”

——

Smoke settling after the intruder’s departed, Eda breathed a heavy sigh before taking in the sight of her ravaged land and home. Bending down to pick up the shredded remains of one of her wanted posters, the gray haired witch frowned, her mind slowly slipping into a despair similar to that of the sight around her before feeling a cold hand touch her shoulder. “Don’t fret, sister. We’ll get this patched up good as new,” Eda heard her sister spoke, her words pulling the gray haired witch back from her thoughts. 

“Thanks, Lily, I know we will,” Eda said through a half-hearted smile.

“Is something on your mind?” Lilith asked, concern in her voice. 

“Not really,” Eda sighed. “I guess just never expected to live the better part of my 50s fighting for my life, let alone for the fate of everyone else the goddamn emperor screwed over.”

“I know, Edalyn. Had it been up to you, I’m sure you’d be living out your golden years in your own brand of chaos, crime, and human trash,” the blue haired witch smirked, trying to lighten the mood in spite of the anguish plaguing her sister. 

“Ha! You got that right,” Eda snorted as she moved to place the fragment of wanted poster that had remained back on one of the remaining walls. 

“Eda, Lilith,” a stern voice spoke pulling the sisters attention. 

“Luz!” Eda yelped as she turned around to face the human. 

“We need to talk about what happened today,” Luz said solemnly as she looked upon the chaotic mess they called home before moving to began picking up debris. 

“Right,” Eda nodded we do. “I can only assume today was the work of the mole Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb warned us about.”

“I agree and there will be time for that,” Lilith sighed, “but for now we should focus on getting this place put back together as best we can before dark. It would be wise for us to relocate within the next few days to avoid another attack and we should have the necessary repairs in order as best as possible prior.”

“I suppose,” Luz spoke after a momentary bout of silence. “But each moment we spend is a moment more that the mole gets. We need to keep a close eye on everyone coming and going in the house from now on.“

“Thats not a bad idea kid,” Eda hummed as she cleaned. “I hate to be the one to bring this up but, do either of you think the Blight twins had anything to do with this?”

Thinking for a moment, Luz shook her head in disagreement. “No, I don’t. I’m not saying I trust either of them but after hearing and seeing what their father did to them, I don’t believe they were lying when they said they wanted to help us. In any case, we don’t know if they are being followed or what type of bounty will be on them when their parents and the Emperor eventually learn of their betrayal. Its probably for the best if we keep a close eye on them as well until we have this sorted all out.”

“You make some pretty good points there, kiddo and hey, who knows? Perhaps we could use them to our advantage. Their folks think they are here spying on us after all. Who’s to say we can’t have them do some counterintelligence when they are checking back in with their folks,” Eda spoke, stopping work as she turned to Luz who nodded in agreement in return before returning to work in a serious silence. 

Taking in the sight of the worn out girl in front of her, Eda sighed as a wave of sadness crossed her heart. It had been years since the girl had arrived in the Boiling Isles, her family and world torn from her at the onset of the war with the destruction of the interdimensional portal that had brought her. Though initially set on finding a way to return her home, as the years flew by, Eda had grown more and more aware of the fleeting hope in Luz’s heart. As such the older witch couldn’t help but wonder how much of what Luz poured into guaranteeing the success of the rebellion was a distraction; a coping mechanism with a clear path and goal that her quest to return home did not offer. Slowly pulling herself from her thoughts, Eda approached her apprentice, gently placing a hand on her shoulder prompting the her to stop working. 

“Eda?” Luz questioned, her tired eyes studying the look on Eda’s face - a look she had seen many times before but could not place. “Is something wrong?”

“Nah, kid. I just wanted to tell you that you did good out there today,” Eda spoke, offering a smile. 

“Thanks! Looks like all the training has paid off though be fair, I was knocked out for about half the battle,” Luz said sheepishly with a chuckle before pointing to her head. 

“Oh yeah, thats right,” Eda said, eyeing a small knot that had formed on the side of Luz’s head. “Thats a pretty nasty bump you got there. Why don’t you go find Viney and have her check that out.”

“But what about the mess?” Luz frowned after taking a moment to think on Eda’s suggestion. 

“Don’t worry, kid. We got this,” Eda reassured the girl. “Lilith and I will round up the others to help get this cleaned up.”

“Well...” Luz hesitated, “as long as you’re sure.” Wrapping her mentor in a hug, Luz felt the older witch pull her in tight, the action speaking far more than the previous conversation had. Pulling away from the hug, Luz stepped over several piles of debris as she made her way towards a room in the back of the house as her mind wandered, hoping that all of the death and destruction for the cause would one day be worth it. In the meantime, however, there was a mole to weed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Metaphors, symbolism, and foreshadowing, oh my!
> 
> Next up, Vinira angst, a plan to uncover the mole and more. Stay tuned!


End file.
